Sleepless Nights
by OnlyANorthernSong
Summary: After a long day, Barry just needs a good night's sleep...except he can't stop thinking. Of course, that isn't always a bad thing.


This is my first try at Flash fanfictions. I don't own the Flash T.V Show, or anything about Flash.

R&R

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Barry smiled at Earl, who was stretched lazily on the floor, grinning at him.

"Hey, buddy, you tired?" The dog responded with a slight whine, before he brought his paw over his eyes. Barry chuckled. "It's been a long day," He agreed. "And we both deserve some shut-eye." He stood wearily, and walked up the stairs, his four-legged companion at his side. Just as he had settled under the covers, memories of the day rolled over him. The Trickster, Meghan Lockheart, Tina McGee, The Flash...

The thoughts swirled in his sleepy mind, and he wondered how far it would all go. Now that it had started, when would it end? Would it be a snowball affect? The crazies popping out of nowhere; becoming more and more plentiful, until Central City is overrun with them? And, if this is the case, will it be his fault, for assuming that he can rule the law as a vigilante? He sighed, and turned onto his side. Earl growled sleepily, unhappy with this movement that shifted the covers.

Barry wondered what would happen if he just locked the cowl and costume into his closet, and left them there, gathering dust. _But, _he reminded himself, _The Flash is a part of Central City now. Kids love him, and Murphy's lost lots of money on those 'Where will the Flash be sighted next?' pools. Not to mention Tina. _If Barry had never been hit by lightening, he never would have met Tina. But, if he just gave up being the Flash, Tina and he could continue their friendship, right? Flash wasn't necessary in their relationship, and to think so would be stupid. Of course, when he had attempted to leave before the whole incident with Jay's killer in the future, she had been upset. She had said Central City needed it's 'Red Ghost'. Barry grumbled, and sat up, rubbing the dust from his eyes. Earl's head bobbed up, and he looked annoyed.

"Sorry," Barry muttered, as he stood and stumbled into the bathroom to look at his haggard appearance. Bags hung beneath his eyes, and his eyes themselves looked dull and tired. "Go to bed." He commanded his defiant reflection, before meandering downstairs to rest on his couch. Earl looked up only briefly, before deciding he wasn't worth trotting downstairs in the middle of the night. Barry smirked.

His stomach growled angrily as he neared the couch, so he switched directions to go into the kitchen. Pouring himself a glass of water, and fixing himself a large bowl of cereal as a midnight snack, Barry continued thinking about his place in Central. Of course, he had a place, and though he was best known as the Flash, he was best suited as Barry Allen, Forensic Scientist. Right? He took a bite of the cereal, munching while staring into space.

If he just stopped being Flash, the crime rate could spike, most likely would, and Tina would blame him. Right?

Another bite.

But, if he continued being the Flash, he would either die in some tactless heroics, or some innocent bystander would die. Right?

Another bite.

So what the hell was he supposed to do?

He chomped unhappily on the cereal, wondering whether calling Tina would be inappropriate. Surely, she'd have something to say about his conflict of interests. She'd put everything into perspective, then say it was his choice because, in the end, it _was _his choice. So...what did he want?

A bite and a sigh.

He doubted he could be happy just sitting in a lab with test tubes, with nothing to look forward to except blind dates, courtesy of Julio and Sabrina, and no one to go home to but a grumpy Earl. And, sure, being Flash was stupid, rash, and undoubtedly dangerous, but as long as he was Flash, he was helping people, he was known around Central, he had Tina...

Another bite.

Why did he keep thinking about Tina? Sure, she was a huge part of this, since she was the one who, in a way, created the Flash, but his future didn't rely only on _her _opinion. His future was in his hands. He suddenly realized that this was true... his future was in his hands. The choices he made... whatever he did... it mattered. Maybe not to Central, but in his personal life, it didn't matter whether he was Barry Allen or the scarlett speedster.

With this thought, he put down the empty cereal bowl he had been licking, and grabbed the phone. The future was in his hands, and, really, if you're probably going to die because of some tactless heroics, what else can you do?

"Tina?" He heard her flustered and surprised reply,

"Barry?"

"Do you wanna go out to dinner?" He heard himself asking.

"What?" Came the crisp English voice. "Is something wrong?"

"No." He replied, and he didn't elaborate. He didn't need to, apparently, because then that silky voice asked,

"When?"

--

The end. Amazing. My first Flash fanfic. Let's all dance and sing to celebrate. Or review. Whatever. Or just click back, and then click on another link. Whatever. It's not like I'll cry because my life revolves around reviews. Really. Go ahead.

...


End file.
